It is a tiny pin size hole in the screen that lets bright light escape. It is more obvious with the light turned all the way up. This is most certainly a defect in the screen.

The Good: Amazon will allow you to return the defective Kindle.
The Bad: This is my 2nd Kindle with this problem. Both of the new Paperwhite Kindles I have ordered have had this problem. I am returning both of them.

I am a little annoyed that the Amazon rep I spoke to asked me 4 times in different ways if I had dropped the Kindle. I kept telling him that it came out of the box like this and it is NOT a crack but a hole. I am sure this is not the first time they have received calls about this so by now it is a known problem. I take issue with him returning to the same question that suggested I damaged the Kindle.

I know there's nothing that can be done - it's just the nature of the beast. In a darkened room when you're trying to not wake up the person next to you the refresh on every page turn seems like a flash bulb going off.

While this may not be the perfect solution for the "do not disturb partner in bed" situation, but just to note that the flash bulb effect is not inherent to e-ink, but to lighted e-ink.

On a regular e-ink reader such as the $69 Kindle with integrated lighted cover, the screen going black doesn't cause the light level to fluctuate as much because the light is external, not in the screen.

I almost always read in the dark on my $69 Kindle (with official lighted cover) and use always-on refresh.

While this may not be the perfect solution for the "do not disturb partner in bed" situation, but just to note that the flash bulb effect is not inherent to e-ink, but to lighted e-ink.

On a regular e-ink reader such as the $69 Kindle with integrated lighted cover, the screen going black doesn't cause the light level to fluctuate as much because the light is external, not in the screen.

I almost always read in the dark on my $69 Kindle (with official lighted cover) and use always-on refresh.

I read on my PW in bed with my hubby sleeping next to me. It is more unobtrusive then a book light or lighted cover which I heard nothing but complaints from him about. If it seems like a flash bulb going off you have the light set too high. I just use the cover flap to keep the light off him if he is directly facing me but we have finally solved our light/sleep problem by using the PW. No more grumbles.

I was worried about the refresh being flashy like a camera but it isn't. At least mine isn't.

If it seems like a flash bulb going off you have the light set too high.

The light is in front of the screen. Having refresh on or off makes not one jot of difference to the amount of light emitted . It's not like an LCD screen where different colours on the screen allow different amounts of light from the backlight through depending on the pixel colour.

The light is in front of the screen. Having refresh on or off makes not one jot of difference to the amount of light emitted . It's not like an LCD screen where different colours on the screen allow different amounts of light from the backlight through depending on the pixel colour.

This is not entirely accurate. On the PW the light guide directs the light at the page - where black e-ink particles will reflect less light than non-black will. Especially so since the light is so close to the screen.

I can confirm the "flash bulb" effect on my new PW2 - and it is much more distinct than with a light-covered $69 Kindle, where the light is higher up and its effect on the surroundings is much more constant and not dependent so much on what the screen displays. I tried side by side in a dark room and PW2 has the flash bulb effect and $69 Kindle does not nearly as much. More experiences on that when I get some time with the device.

Of course the flash bulb effect is less the less the PW light is set at. If you read with very low light, there is less to flash.

p.s. I agree lighted covers can disturb partners more then a PW. My point was simply to separate e-ink issues from frontlit e-ink issues, when sometimes people in my opinion seem to confuse them too liberally.

Does anybody have a black page (total black) in mobi. I wonder if you load this as a book and display it, you might be able to see any and all pinhole bleed-through. I bought two; got them yesterday one had a really bright pinhole and a second which is barley visible. The 2nd PW seems almost flawless. Maybe something near the bottom but that is why I would like a black page in mobi format to test.

Does anybody have a black page (total black) in mobi. I wonder if you load this as a book and display it, you might be able to see any and all pinhole bleed-through. I bought two; got them yesterday one had a really bright pinhole and a second which is barley visible. The 2nd PW seems almost flawless. Maybe something near the bottom but that is why I would like a black page in mobi format to test.

The real test for pinholes and whether one bothers you is to read. If they don't bother you then don't worry about them. Pinholes don't seem to move around or get bigger, so if they don't mess up your reading then I wouldn't worry about them.

If you still want a black background though, the easiest way to do this is to create one in a JPEG and view it on the PW2. Make it at least 768 x 1024 px. The older Kindles could view JPEGs as standalone files, not sure if the PW2 can. If it cannot, then create a simple HTML file with the JPEG at fullscreen dimensions and then email it to your PW2. Amazon should convert an HTML file into a mobi via this process.

If the 2nd PW seems flawless to you, why bother trying your hardest to find a possible imperfection? If you can't see it, it doesn't matter..... no?

As for testing it, I don't remember anyone posting a test image/book with a black page but do remember someone taking a screen grab of their Kindle and then inverting the image on their computer to highlight any issues.

It's a reasonable point, Jack, that if a Kindle looks "flawless", then why actively seek out problems with it? What matter is how it looks in the conditions under which you actually use it.

Apparently you have not read Canuck_in_Japan's many posts where he constantly says people just want to find issues. Of course that is the way you acted with the PW1 folks who had issues. It took you a long time to see there really were issues and not just picky posters. Canuck_in_Japan doesn't even own a Kindle, and therefore shouldn't be posting BS with no other intent than to cause a commotion. In the kindle forums, he is nothing more than an agitator.

There are devices with genuine faults (eg prominent pinholes or grossly misaligned screens). There are also people who look for problems in extreme conditions (eg at maximum brightness in a dark room). It's also true to say that some people are genuinely more sensitive to colour changes than others (or simply more bothered by them). What one person considers to be a "faulty" device another person might be perfectly happy with.

What is true to say is that the overwhelming majority of people who receive PWs are perfectly satisfied with them.

There are devices with genuine faults (eg prominent pinholes or grossly misaligned screens). There are also people who look for problems in extreme conditions (eg at maximum brightness in a dark room). It's also true to say that some people are genuinely more sensitive to colour changes than others (or simply more bothered by them). What one person considers to be a "faulty" device another person might be perfectly happy with.

What is true to say is that the overwhelming majority of people who receive PWs are perfectly satisfied with them.

I agree that people sometimes look for faults, but the screen on any Paperwhite 2 should be perfect. By perfect I mean no pinholes at any brightness level, the screen should aligned properly which is not hard to do, and there should be no large pieces of dust on the screen.

I am not even talking about the color or evenness of the lighting. It seems Amazon can barely get the first 3 so I do not want to ask for too much. I personally would gladly pay more for the PW2 if these first 3 items would be addressed.